Advances in Robotics Pose Legal, Ethical Questions

Michael Froomkin, Laurie Silvers & Mitchell Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law. The robots are coming.And they are swiftly producing a host of legal and ethical issues that will intensify as robotic advancements become increasingly autonomous and ubiquitous. “We will see changes in areas of the law that we can’t even imagine as a result of robotics and artificial intelligence,” said Stephen Wu, an information technology attorney who specializes in robots and AI at Silicon Valley Law Group in San Jose, California. Technology has already affected nearly every area of law. Trademark attorneys have battled for domain names. Estate lawyers check for virtual assets. Family lawyers regularly introduce evidence from social media in divorce proceedings, exposing a Facebook dark side. Social media is also increasingly…